Monday, August 27, 2018

2018 Frozen Product Guide

Ok, I now this is supposed to go up at the beginning of the year, but I had this dumb idea to try and work really hard on it this year. What happened was that I kept gathering more and more pictures which made the task of finishing this guide harder and harder. I'm not even sure it's done now. Next year, I will just post it as soon as it's started and then I can update according. It's much easier that way. I meant well I swear. Click past the break to get started.

Magnum struck the 2018 US market first with a product that other parts of the world have already seen. The new Magnum tubs are definitely fun though your appreciation for them will depend on how much you enjoy their actual ice cream. They also released a new Double Cherry Truffle bar (review here).

Magnum White Chocolate Vanilla tub (review here)
Magnum Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tub (review here)
Magnum Milk Chocolate Vanilla Tub (review here)
Magnum Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Tub (to be reviewed at some point)


Next up we got new a bunch of new stuff from Haagen-Dazs. Most importantly (to me), they continue to tweak their Trio branding and added three new flavors but this time there is also a gooey sauce factor (so is it still a trio?). We're also working on the third iteration of the Trio branding with more colorful containers and the expanded name of "crispy trio layers". To be honest, I don't even know what to call them other than sticking with Trio because it's catchy and easy.

    Coconut & Chocolate Trio (review here)
    Vanilla & Caramel Trio (review here)
    Lemon & Raspberry Trio (review here)

H-D has gotten in a cycle of releasing a limited line up each year and the 2018 version is called the "Decadent Collection" and it lives up to the name. We see the debut of the overall amazing Honey Salted Caramel Almond (review here), Banana Peanut Butter Chip and it's amazing peanut butter swirl (review here), as well as the return of midnight cookies & cream.

There's also the new chocolate covered cookie squares as well as new bars. For the squares, there is a vanilla version (review here) and a dulce de leche version which I still need to try.

And if that's not enough, they really widened their non-dairy offerings with two non-dairy Trios and two non-dairy bars. It makes me wonder if we'll see a non-dairy pint slice from Ben & Jerry's next year. The specific flavors are peanut butter chocolate fudge (bar, reviewed here), coconut caramel dark chocolate (bar), crunchy peanut butter (trio) and coconut cookies & creme (trio).


Speaking of Ben & Jerry's, they got a pretty early jump on their announcements this year. The biggest thing is probably the three new Truffle flavors... or would the new "Moo-phoria" lineup be the biggest anouncement? Moo-phoria is basically B&J's light ice cream. You save calories but not dollars. I've tried two and have no urge to try the third. There are also three new pint slices as well as an assortment of new (sometimes limited, sometimes exclusive) pints.

Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles (review here)
Chocolate Shake It Truffles (review here)
Chillin' the Roast Truffles (not my style)

P.B. Dough Moo-phoria (review here)
Caramel Cookie Fix Moo-phoria (review here)
Chocolate Milk & Cookies Moo-phoria (don't care anymore)

The Tonight Dough pint slice (review here)
Cherry Garcia pint slice (in the freezer)
Coffee, Coffee, Buzz Buzz Buzz slice (not my style)

Gimme S'mores! ice cream - limited edition (review here)
Glampfire Trailmix ice cream - Target exclusive (review here)
It's Ice...Cream ice cream - Special Stash (limited access)

2 New Non-Dairy Flavors: Peanut Butter Half Baked and Cinnamon Buns


Let's start mainstream stuff by talking about the "Trio'politan" flavors from Turkey Hill. Basically three flavors (not swirled) in the same container. There are four regular flavors and one all natural flavor [aka their is only one new all natural flavor this year]. They also have a new "decadent delights" lineup. It comes in both bars and parfait formats and I've only seen the bars at Wegman's.

American Dream (review here)  --  Coco Loco (skipping)
Mint Cookie (review here)  --  Triple Chocolate (review here)
All Natural Chocolate Raspberry Bliss (review here)

Decadent Delights (I've only seen them at Wegman's)
Cherry  -- Chocolate Covered Strawberry  --  Coconut -- Tropical Mango

Only the July-Sept Limited flavors were "new" this year: Caramel Brownie Overload (review here) and Caramel Hot Chocolate (spicy!). I say it that way because CBO was based on a retired flavor that won last year's flavor tournament.


Is Breyers up to anything new? Ofcourse they are. Their gelato lineup got tweaked as always with a few subtractions and the addition of Brownie Batter Swirl and Chocolate Fudge Truffle, but more importantly was the change ups to the BLASTS! line up. Basically the BLASTS name is gone. Some flavors live on without the BLASTS branding (like Oreo and Reeses), but several other flavors live on in the swirled up world of Breyers 2in1. There are four "new" flavors and each one is basically a mix of two blasts flavors:

Oreo & Chips Ahoy! (review here) --  Heath & Waffle Cone
Reese's & Reese's Pieces  --  Snickers and M&M

side note: two Breyers delights flavors now come in "mini-pint" sizes aka 4oz cups aka I am bothered that they call it a mini-pint instead of a cup. I am also distrustful when they put out new sizes instead of new flavors. Maybe delights aren't selling as well as they hoped?

Breyers Gelato is losing five flavors while on gaining the new Brownie Batter Swirl flavor. The cancelled flavors are strawberry truffle, tiramisu, chocolate caramel, chocolate hazelnut, and the 2017 release cinnamon roll.


I can't forget about all the new treats coming from Blue Bunny. The best part about Blue Bunny and 2018 is that they have a new PR rep! YAY! I've seen plenty of ice cream relationships come and go over the last decade and it was nice to finally get an email from Blue Bunny again, especially now that it has become much harder to find their newer ice cream containers in my area. The new options are four new bunny snacks, two new cones, 8 load'd sundaes and then a few new flavors.

Bunny Snacks: vanilla fudge brownie (review here)  --  strawberry cheesecake (review soon)
chocolate hazelnut (review here)  --  mint chocolate twist (in the freezer)

Mini Swirls: cinnamon cereal (review here) --- mint cookie crunch (review here)

8 Load'd Sundaes in all!!! chocolate brownie bomb, bunny tracks, cookie dough co., cookie crunch 'n fudge, mint chocolate chunk, peanut butter bunny, salted caramel pecan, and strawberry shortcake.

new 1.5qt flavors: blackberry crumble rumble, chocopolitan (review here), and caramel butter pecan praline.


In other mainstream news, Edy's (Dreyer's for you west coast people) has thrown the Triple-Filled lineup at us. Each container of so-so ice cream containers three "cores" of either fudge or caramel for a total of four flavors available everywhere. There is also an exclusive dollar general flavor. I have been unimpressed with the first two I tried and the third is just laying about in the basement freezer.

1-2-3-4 & DG5

A big thing that Nestle (Edys/Dreyers) is doing this year is putting out un-branded pints. In particular is the three super hero flavors but they are also messing with the candy flavors they put out last year. So you can now buy Butterfinger ice cream rather than Edy's with Butterfinger ice cream. I guess whatever gets our attention in a short attention span world right? If you can't make something new, just make it look new and hope it gets seen by people who don't notice it's the same thing. Wow that sounds cynical (because it is. Don't get me started. It never goes well).

Krypton Cookie Dough - Dark Knight Brownie Bite - Golden Lasso Twirl (review here

Rolo sandwiches and cones. The cones scare me with thoughts of last year's Oreo cones, but I've had the sandwiches and they are good (review here).

Nestle is also throwing the outshine pint lineup at us. 4 of them use a banana base and three use a dairy base and include granola. I tried one of the dairy ones (strawberry review here) and it tastes like literal frozen yogurt (that is an insult, not a compliment).


I always forget to mention Blue Bell because I don't have any access to them. They released Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough in March and Key Lime Mango Tart in July. They also finally built a new website.... it's about scoopin' time!


Back to the higher end stuff, can't forget to mention Talenti. They've released three new flavors (so far) but also three low sugar flavors. That's right, they to have jumped on the replacement sugar bandwagon (man this trend is out of control). I actually found these very early on (at the end of December) but never got past just sampling the vanilla cinnamon. You can read the low cal recap here. (the Talenti numbered flavor list is here)

48  Chocolate Caramel Blondie gelato (review here)
49  Almond Butter & Honey gelato (review here)
50  Vanilla Cinnamon (120 cal)
51  Cold Brew Coffee sorbetto
52  Mint Cookie Crunch (120 cal)
53  Chocolate Fudge Swirl (120 cal)


Since we are talking gelato, let's talk about new offerings from Gelato Fiasco. Always fun, always different, and always happy to get free samples of what's new:

Sunken Treasure (review here), Double Caramel Cookies & Cream (review here), Deep Maine Woods, and then four nutty options all reviewed togetherDoughing Me, Doughing You, A Big Ol' Peanut Butter Pint, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, and Bourbon Putter Pecan.


Coolhaus has several new flavors though they are hard to find. I saw two at Wegman's and then later on I saw the same two flavors plus one more at Roche Bros.

Milkshake & Fries (review here)
Best Of Both Worlds Vanilla
Buttered French Toast 
Street Cart Churro Dough 
Midnight Munchies 
Farmer's Market Strawberry Cheesecake 


Having been "rescued" by Dean Foods, Steve's Ice Cream is back on store shelves. The lineup is fairly limited but there are a few flavors that I've never tried.


It's not new-new, but pints from Big Gay Ice Cream have expanded distribution in to my area. So far I have reviewed American Globs and Birfdae Cake from Price Chopper and will pick up some others from Shaw's as well.


I haven't seen a ton of activity in the Friendly's section this year, but I have noticed three things. One, they released Nor'easter Pothole which was fairly disappointing. Two, they slightly tweaked their Naturally line up by replacing chocolate fudge with vanilla bean chocolate  -- the other seven flavors have stayed the same. Three, they didn't add any new sundae containers which makes me sad because they are a pretty fun snack (and big enough that you can spread them out over a few days).

Wait, there are four things. Friendly's has put out the "Big Friendly" novelty line which swipes ideas from both Fat Boy and Chipwich. Granted Chipwich is a fairly common idea at this point, but the thick square ice cream sandwiches are definitely a riff of Fat Boy sandwiches. That said, the really annoying part here is that all three varieties are just labeled as "Big Friendly" at the top and then the flavors at the bottom: Vanilla, Fudge Swirl, and Chocolate Chip (reviewed here). This bothers me and my need to properly label and organize things.


Buffalo based Perry's Ice Cream actually re-released four retro flavors to commemorate their 100th birthday. I've ranked the reviews here with Parkerhouse being my favorite: Parkerhouse - Malt Shoppe - Heavenly Hash - Butterscotch. Around memorial day, they also released the new limited edition Star Spangled Cookie which was sugar cookie ice cream with sugar cookie dough pieces and sprinkles. Sounds awesome.


You may have noticed I didn't mention Yuengling's Ice Cream and that's because apparently they are not doing anything new this year according to their PR people. However, they are going to have out a new product line next year so we'll just have to wait and see what's in store with that (feel free to take a guess on that).


That's about it for around these parts except maybe Hood ice cream which has already disappointed me with both their Purple Panda flavor and their Chocolate Churro flavor. I'm sure we'll see a few more new things from their New England Creamery line this year but I certainly won't be holding my breath for them.


Purveyors of the never ending and always rotating fro-yo, Kemps is throwing JoyFULLS at us. It takes their love of froyo and mixes it with the annoying trend of sugar-replacements. I have no intention of trying this lineup (for fear of bathroom related consequences). I wrote a news post about all four flavors here.

While I've never been a fan of regular Arctic Zero, my one sampling over their new light ice cream lineup was surprisingly not that bad. I will try to cover more of these flavors if they ever actually show up in my area because I appreciate that they don't rely on sugar replacement. Seven flavors in all: You can see my review of cookies & cream or you can check out the roundup review of all but one of the flavors.

Speaking of evil sugar replacements, Skinny Cow also jumped on the ultra-light ice cream game. Yes, that's what I call all the Halo Top competitors. There are seven flavors and I won't be trying any of these Stevia infused products.

Ofcourse, there's also chillycow in the ultra light game thanks to Wells Dairy (the blue bunny people). It uses both erythritol and stevia to replace real sugar. One thing that sets them apart is instead of buying one full pint, it comes packaged as two half pints (or "tubs"). I will give them props for that because I really don't like how Halo Top pushes eating the whole pint (feel free to comment on this as well). Like Skinny Cows line up, there are seven flavors in all: brown butter salted caramel, chocolate brownie batter, chocolate chip cookie dough, cookies 'n cream, mint dark chocolate chip, sweet cream peanut butter, and vanilla graham swirl. I actually accidentally bought that last one and it sat for months in the freezer before I finally did a post on it. (four of the flavors also come in bar format).

While officially announced at the end of 2017, Slim Twin by three twins ice cream didn't become widely available until 2018 (and by widely available, I mean whole foods and I'm not sure where else). It's another ultra light ice cream courtesy of erythritol. The flavors are vanilla, chocolate, mint chip, coffee, cookies & cream, lemon cookie, and cardamon. CT from Nerd Lunch did a recap review for us of all seven flavors.

I was surprised to see Baskin-Robbins "at home" back in my area, but not only that, they finally did something they should have done a long time ago by releasing Dunkin Donuts themed flavors. Baskin and Dunkin are owned by the same people so I have no idea why they didn't do this sooner. The flavors I saw are coffee, french vanilla coffee, and coffee chocolate chip. That means they now offer 21 flavors in all. Apparently they also have five ice cream sandwiches which includes the new Chocolate Chip version.

Chipwich is back. They promised me samples for months as part of their social media blitz and eventually they did arrive. They are tasty ofcourse and you can read more here.

Good Humor gives us the Reese's Frozen Peanut Butter Dessert Bar for 2018. It's probably terrible. Also, I'll probably give in and buy it anyway (when it's on sale).

Much more tempting is the new Chocolate M&M cookie sandwiches from Mars and indeed they are tasty. My review is here. Mars two other new treats are the M&M minis ice cream bars as well as the DOVE Mango Sorbet with Dark Chocolate bars.

Make a mid year introduction is Museum of Ice Cream with seven flavors found exclusively at Target. I tried the Vanillionaire and it wasn't bad, but not sure it's worth $4.99 for fairly basic flavors and so-so quality. It tasted more like $3.50 a pint ice cream. (fancy marketing alone does not justify higher prices).


Anonymous said...

Bravo, Dubba! What a tremendous cataloging of all things Ice Cream. I commend you for your work, but I must admit, I was a bit dismayed as I perused further down your list: we started with the delectable and then delved into the fat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, protein-packed varieties. It is a lot to take in and a lot to admire how savvy marketers are. I was most surprised with Talenti. How do you make gelato low-cal? I googled a bit, and found some claim that "new technology cuts 98% of sugar in gelato!" All of those low-carbers must be having their Golden Age. Something for everyone, I guess, and thanks to you, we all can have a handy "users guide" to modern day ice cream. Thanks, Dubba. Hope you are feeling better to try a spoonful here and there.

Danielle said...

Dubba remember when I mentioned THs restructure? Well I picked up my fav flavor Double Dunker and it's now a FDD! Ahh I'm predicting a Breyers scenario :(

Sascha said...

Dubs, the banana based Outshine line does not feature granola.

Dubba Scoops said...

@Anon: cant wait for the current ultra light fad to pass us by. (and yes, while I am still avoid soda and candy and high fiber things, I'm totally eating ice cream again!)

@D: BOOOOOOOOOOO on them. Hope the new owners save them from themselves. I'm ok with paying a higher price for their all natural stuff

@Sascha: let's call that a typo shall we. I mean the answer was right in front of me and I still spaced out. Maybe I could also blame the fact that this post has been in the works for... 5 or 6 months.

May said...

Man, I'd been dying to find any reviews ANYwhere of those new Dunkin/Baskin pints before finally caving and just buying one (the Coffee Choc Chip) myself. If you really hadn't tried it, spare yourself. It's vile. Amazed it carries either the Dunkin or Baskin name--each should be ashamed!!

Rabbit Girl said...

I expect that by the end of the century, we'll all be cyborgs anyway, no longer requiring food, so the ultra light ice cream fad will definitely fade out by then

Dubba Scoops said...

@May: the Baskin-Robbins at home pints are definitely a step below their scoop shop stuff, and then factor in the coffee, and i say Nay! But thank you for sharing, much appreciated!

@RG: +2 for working robopocalypse into the conversation

Anonymous said...

Why are people so against ice creams/frozen desserts whose sole purpose are to allow those with allergies or diet/health restrictions (whether self-imposed or otherwise) some semblance of normalcy such as having an everyday snack when it’s as simple as not purchasing products they do not have any interest in? There are children, elderly and chronically ill/disabled people who can finally have a little bite of ice cream. Why is that thought so distasteful to some?

Nick T said...

This list is impressive! I've tried maybe 1/15th of it...Guess I have some catching up to do >D

Amanda said...

Hi, (Anonymous 2, I think?). I am all for people eating whatever they want. I am sure there are plenty of things people would look dubiously at me and say, "You eat THAT?!" Anyway, if I didn't have food issues myself, I would eat (at least) a pint everyday and skip merrily down the ice cream aisle with my spoon in hand, picking out whatever I wanted. I would be very interested to hear if you have any favorites or recommendations for alternative ice creams. I don't know what dietary restrictions you have, but I just saw this: Enlightened Barista Collection Pumpkin Spice Latte Ice Cream. Never tried it, so I can't give a yes/no recommendation. (I didn't know there was a "Barista Collection.") Hi, Dubba! Great list as usual. The Museum of Ice Cream should hire you as a curator/collector.

Latchkey Nerds said...

Because many of those sugar replacements are worse for the body than actual sugar, and many people buy them not because they can’t have sugar, but because they’re hipsters. Just like the whole gluten free craze, when the list of people who actually have celiac disease is relatively small

Anonymous said...

I can assure you people are not pretending to have food allergies or sensitivities and not all ice cream alternatives use sugar replacements. Even if the amount of people in the world who have restricted diets is small, why does that deem them unworthy of having any product at all cater to them in the market? 99% of products are for those who can enjoy food without major restrictions, why is 1% such a hindrance?

Rabbit Girl said...

@amanda where'd you spot that, i can't find it in NYC

Anonymous said...

I have diabetes, gastroparesis and GERD, so my food intake can become erratic + severely restricted during a health crisis. As of now, my favorite alternatives are Outshine’s Non-Diary Scoops. They’re not perfect (the banana flavoring overrides the other ingredients) but it’s quite soft on my stomach and I like the combinations they have so far. Yasso Greek Frozen Yogurt products have a weird texture but the taste is good. Their Mint chocolate ice cream sandwiches are great after tempering for about 10 minutes.

Amanda said...

RabbitGirl, if we are not all cyborgs by this fall, maybe the new flavor for Enlightened will spread to NYC soon. So far, it is in stores out west in California (e.g. Vons) and in the midwest (e.g. Jewel-Osco). I am sure Enlightened will be all over the place in no time. Here is where I first saw it:
Latchkey Nerds: Fascinating! If you have a blog, I need to follow it.
Last Anonymous post: Sorry for all the GI issues (I feel your pain, ugh.) Thanks for the Banana ice cream recommendation. I love bananas and PB, so maybe I will look for Outshine (never heard of it.) Yes, the GI system: what a bitch.

Rabbit Girl said...

@Amanda it's crazy that they come here last when they are headquartered in brooklyn, and i think the plant is there as well, plus, with time zones we got 4 hours closer to the fall and thus are in higher need of pumpkin spice overload

Amanda said...

@RG: You rock. If Dubba needs a back-up, I nominate you. You have ice cream distribution down to the 15-degree difference in latitude. I live in Wisconsin, so we are dominated by only what Kroeger, Walmart and Target offer. However, we do have Culver's and Kopp's Custard. And to Anonymous giving very valid reasons for recognizing people with food sensitivities: I see your point. "Ice Cream For All!" is my motto. However, my problem lies with the marketers. One person creates something that people go ga-ga over and then every other company wants to get in on it--and by that I mean getting into our wallets. All too often, "healthier" products are promoted at our naivete. But hey--if you have alternative recommendations, please share. My ultimate dream is that ice cream will one day be the new Soylent.

Snack Foragers said...

I don't think the issue is people being against ice cream like product being made for those with health concerns. Its more so that those products take up an increasing amount of shelf space that is isn't equal to the amount of people with those concerns. Further the reality is that most of those products are being marketed from a fitness/health perspective that is sketchy at best.

Anonymous said...

It's distasteful to some because Americans overly romanticize nostalgia/bygone eras and we overly romanticize food.

To some people anything that isn't like what mother use to make or buy for them, isn't traditional, old school or Good Ol "All American" whatever, then it's worthless, pretensious, a personal attack against them for existing or it's for "millenials/snowflakes/hipsters"

There's never any room for variety or appreciation for advancement or ingenuity or trying to make life a little more pleasant for other people, like you mentioned. It's all about putting whatever was done "back in the day" on a pedestal, and dismissing anything new.

Also, I love when folks use the "appeal to nature" fallacy when proclaiming that artificial sugar is worse for you than actual sugar, just because it gives some people the runs.

What's a few extra trips to the John, when stacked up against diabtetes, tooth decay or 20+ pounds of excess adipose hanging off of one's torso?

Before anyone says "That's why you should practice portion control". Well 70% of us have zero concept of portion control.

Many of us were not raised with any, had to learn it in adulthood and can use a little help maintain weight loss or losing weight.

So I'm not going to put companies down for trying to help us get that under control.

Dubba Scoops said...

ok, time for me to jump back in again. I don't think you needed to insult that many people in a single comment. Going line by line, it's probably easier to figure out who you DIDN'T insult.

I'm pretty sure more that 30% of people understand portion control. I work in a small office and most of us understand portion control. I'm not saying we follow it 24/7, but we all understand the concept. I'm sorry your parents didn't teach you any. My parents taught me and and I teach it to my kids.

Also, you speak as someone who has never had a reaction to a sugar replacement. Take it from someone who has, it's not fun and it's not worth it to many of us. Do you believe that profit margins have nothing to do with all the food science that has gotten mixed in to our ice cream? Food is a business and inflation is unavoidable. We don't live in a world of magic, they either lower the quality or they jack up the price.

That all said, ofcourse you can enjoy these new fangled products. They obviously have some appeal but also don't overestimate their worth. Remember the greek froyo fad?

P.S. Brush your teeth more, it will help with that tooth decay

Anonymous said...

LOL, my teeth are good and I brush frequently but thank you.

Also, I'm not sure how my comment was any more insulting than claiming that people are brainwashed by fads/hipsters/jumping on a bandwagon for enjoying a product, but whatever.

By the way, the whole obsession with nostalgia and demonization of progress isn't just in regards to ice cream or food in general. A lot of Americans (usually Boomers) do that about many other things. The whole nostalgia worship thing dominates American politics as well.

Furthermore, I'm only talking about Americans here not the majority of the planet. 70% of Americans are overweight. Anyone who is overweight is not practicing portion control. They are consuming more than they burn. That's pretty irrefutable.

Now some people are a little overweight and they don't care. That's cool, I have nothing against them. It's your life. Just like people who smoke : it's your life.

But to look around you (beyond your family and coworkers) and say we as a country don't have a problem is to bury your head into the sand.

Then again, you live up north and not in the south or midwest, where it's all concentrated.

I had a relative who was always overweight but not huge, and they still lost their life to Type 2 diabetes. So forgive me for getting annoyed with people who claim that sugar causes less damage than artificial sugar.

Btw, I have had negative gut reactions to some fake sugar before. Xorbitol, I think it was : the one that's used in sugar free Jello pudding. The ones used in Halo Top don't bother me. I have never had Enlightened or Artic Zero so I can't speak on them.

Yes, I understand inflation and profit margins but what does that have to do with what we're talking about?

Now it just sounds like you're calling anything you don't enjoy "lower quality". Many of these light ice creams have raw cane sugar (in edition to fake sugar) organic milk and eggs in them. Where is the lesser quality? And not everybody likes super dense rock hard custardy Hagaan Daz or Graeters, or at least not all of the time.

You tell me not to "overestimate their worth" but who here (me or otherwise) has come close to doing that? I and the other Anon simply said they are tasty, worthy products, amid all of the other comments in this thread and your other threads bashing them, and calling people brainwashed for liking them.

Dubba Scoops said...

Someone is very fired up about this issue, but it's late and I really just want to watch tv. My point is that you shouldnt assume that these companies are trying to protect you from yourself. If it helps you with your calorie count, that's fine, no one is stopping you from eating whatever it is you want to you. What we are trying to explain is that these companies see a bandwagon and they jump on it. They see a way to increase profit margins and have to follow wherever it leads. We "Americans" want the same product at the same price even if our dollar is worth half of what it use to be. It's why we get 48oz of ice cream instead of 64oz nowadays. It's why we get 110 calories a serving instead of 150 calories per serving. It's not about you. It's about keeping those razor thin profit margins alive. Eat what you want, but don't get mad if I don't appreciate 20% of shelf space being sucked up by food I can't consume. I have the right to be flustered if a company spends more time with erythritol than they spend on giving me new flavors. I can get mad and I will show it through my purchases.

This is just an open forum but try to focus on what matters. If you read back your comments tomorrow, maybe you will see they could have been more friendly. You don't need to nitpick. Stick to the facts. You like these new fangled things and that's fine. Just don't lecture us that "light ice cream" is the same as real ice cream. That's all.

Anonymous said...

If you took my comments as a personal attack against you, I do apologize. I really wasn't talking about you (and perhaps I should've clarified that) but I did mean the general narrative of the other comments all over the blog about this topic, not just this thread. I lurk a lot.

I know about the whole 64 oz vs. 48 oz thing and 14 oz vs. 16, but where is 110 calories coming from?

I looked up the caloric count for the vanilla flavors of Breyers and Turkey Hill and I got 130 and 140 respectively which sounds reasonable to me. I'm sure a lot of people who buy the vanilla are making sundaes so how rich does it need to be?

So the 20% of shelf space is the issue? Well, what would be an exceptable percentage to you then? 10%? 6%? I swear, I'm really not being a wiseguy here, I'm genuinely curious now. Because that still leaves 80% of things you CAN eat and peanut butter is ubiquitous in ice cream flavors old and new, which is definitely your thing.

I don't think anyone has said light ice cream is the same as real ice cream or that it's better.

Amanda said...

Wowza! Dubba, you get the mic-drop for incorporating the Old English word, "newfangled" into your discussion on ice cream. Who knew the decadent, delicious, pleasurable, sweet utopia one discovers in the multitude of the brightly colored ice cream cardboard pints would evoke such fire and brimstone in your enthralled reading audience? I did not know if I was reading a diatribe on Millennial mindset, MAGA, or Maltitol madness. Fascinating discussion. Truly. And for Mr./Ms. Anon: I live in the Midwest--the Dairy state in fact. You seem to brush a very broad brushstroke with your comment: "70% of Americans are overweight. Anyone who is overweight is not practicing portion control." Perhaps you have heard of HAES? Health At Every Size? It is a newer concept and one in which incorporates genetics, human evolution, socioeconomic status, and many other holistic factors that make up a human's composition. Perhaps people are healthier at a higher weight, i.e., their natural "set-point" is just at a higher level which allows them to fully engage in activity and think clearly while maintaining efficient organ function. You stated that your "not huge" relative still died from Type II diabetes; I would like to note that conversely, there are many people who do not fit neatly on a BMI chart but they still have stellar blood test results. Just because what your eyes deem as an unhealthy or overweight person should be automatically glommed in with this "70%" of America you speak of does not necessarily make your assumption irrefutable. We all have our own battles with our bodies. Assigning a negative connotation to a person's ability to maintain a certain scale number is a very crude assessment of the person's overall worth as a human being. But who am I? Maybe I just have to keep my "head buried in the sand."

Dubba Scoops said...

@Anon: Ha, that's a fair question about what would be an acceptable amount of shelf space for healthy stuff and I doubt I can furnish a good answer. I do realize that we are spoiled with what usually amounts to a half aisle worth of shelf space (seems like most stores have an entire length of aisle dedicated to ice cream like products, but on one side). Maybe I'm just jealous when an endcap goes from being the latest and greatest to being full of all 57 flavors of halo top. I'm going to have to think about the question. I have actually thought of tracking this stat before. Not that long ago we would have 3 pints of B&J's to every 2 pints of H-D to every pint of Talenti.

As for the lower calorie count, I'll give a specific example with a half cup serving of Graeter's ice cream.
2012 Review: 114g per half cup, 290 calories (160 from fat), 29g of sugar
2018 Stats: 101g per half cup, 250 calories (150 from fat), 21g of sugar

I also like the example of my son's favorite bread. It's gone from 130 calories a slice, to 110, to 90. 2 old slices is the equivalent to 3 new slices. How frustrating is that (especially factoring in that it is harder to butter).

@Amanda: ice cream is a very personal subject :)